Re: [Harp-L] Re: un-gussing -- topic slightly drifting

[martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

>From: The Iceman <>
>Here is another interesting phenomenon - being invited up to play, but playing a little too good. 


Yes, that could mean trouble. 
  I have a friend that I´ve played with off and on ... but noted that it was more and more going in the off direction. Really couldn´t see why. Then I overheard him, kinda drunk, extolling my (in fact rather modest) virtues as a harmonicist to a third party, and he introduced this caveat, "Well, you gotta know that when playing w/ Martin it´s always HE who gets the praise after performance ...", and there was the reason for his reluctance: he had for many years been used to people congratulating him on his singing etc, then comes this guy with a harmonica. His ego had taken a bit of a beating.
 
The kind of praise we get as harmonica players is often un-deserved. Simply because there are som many crap players out there the sudden appearance of a non-crap player pricks up people´s ears. Non-crap does not have to mean good.
  So I told him afterwards, confessing that I´ve eavesdropped, and he looked calmer. We talked about playing together again.
 
Cheers,
/Martin
 
PS On this gussing debate, if that´s what it is, there´s a very simple solution: Just leave your harmonicas at home.
Otherwise I think Rosco put it very well and admirably to the point:
>At MY gigs -NEVER. EVER. NEVER OK.
>Sorry to shout, but it is pretty unbelievable to me that this is even open
>for discussion!
>Rosco